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On the entrance line of the Maui wildfire final week, two firefighters mentioned they misplaced their very own dwelling because the fast-moving blaze surrounded them.
Aina Kohler and Jonny Varona, who’re married, are veteran firefighters and Maui residents. Kohler was working when she responded to her own residence and instructed ABC Information’ Whit Johnson that by then, there was no water provide obtainable.
“I felt the hose line coming in from the hydrant — the consumption line — and it was gentle and I used to be like, ‘There is no stress, there is no water,'” Kohler recalled.
Kohler, who has been a firefighter for over a decade and is from Lahaina, additionally instructed Honolulu ABC affiliate KITV she’d by no means seen such a devastating wildfire in her profession to this point and described it as “an apocalypse” or “Armageddon.”
“It was simply fireplace and black in every single place. I’ve by no means seen something prefer it. I am from Lahaina and the wind that day was, I’ve by no means felt something like that earlier than,” Kohler mentioned.
“Our home have been a number of the final to burn down. We have been means out of water. I might by no means skilled something like that, so for me personally, I believed a number of instances, I used to be like, ‘Oh, right here we go. I hope this is not it,'” Kohler added.
The couple aren’t alone of their private tragedy.
“Two of the firefighters that was on our truck from the identical station as us … their homes have been on this neighborhood. Their homes burned down whereas we [were] making an attempt to maintain it from spreading,” Kohler mentioned.
Kohler mentioned 17 of the 18 firefighters who dwell in Lahaina have misplaced their houses.
The day their home burned, Varona evacuated together with his and Kohler’s two youngsters. He mentioned he was in a position to take heed to his spouse’s voice through radio.
“It was really extremely relieving to listen to her voice on the radio. Understanding they’re nonetheless doing it, they nonetheless have a plan, that they are nonetheless making an attempt and it isn’t so unhealthy,” Varona mentioned.
Kohler and Varona instructed KITV that though they’ve misplaced their dwelling and their small companies, they really feel grateful they have been in a position to make it out alive with their household and are dedicated to persevering with to assist their group as a lot as they’ll.
“There’s folks working additional time, you understand, folks whose homes have burned down are coming in, individuals who have misplaced family members are coming in they usually’re working further,” Varona mentioned. “We’re not doing something heroic. We’re doing our job. And we’re doing it for the city that we dwell in, within the city that we love, the city she grew up in.”
Hawaii Gov. Josh Inexperienced mentioned throughout a press convention Monday night time {that a} “complete investigation” has been launched following stories firefighters didn’t have sufficient water to struggle the wildfire that has since turn out to be the fifth-deadliest in U.S. historical past. A consultant for Hawaiian Electrical mentioned the water provide for combating fires was depending on electrical energy.
Inexperienced additionally mentioned on Maui, there was a substantial amount of water battle for a number of years with restricted water for each folks and houses.
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